BoughtAll Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill (I really enjoyed this one, review to come... eventually)Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas (Haven't read Throne of Glass yet however I've heard so many good things about it)Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling (For some reason the second copy was missing from my HP collection so luckily I got this hardback version for only $5)Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (There seems to be a lot of mixed reviews for this one, not sure if the writing is to my taste however it was $5 so I might as well try it)The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult (Impulse buy, never read her books before so we'll see how it goes. Another book from the $5 sale)Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor (Words cannot describe how much I adore her books! I'm so glad that I now have the hardcover version with all the beautiful illustrations, best $18.40 spent ever)

In a world
ravaged by mutation, a teenage girl must travel into the forbidden
Savage Zone to recover lost artifacts or her father’s life is forfeit.

America
has been ravaged by a war that has left the eastern half of the country
riddled with mutation. Many of the people there exhibit varying degrees
of animal traits. Even the plantlife has gone feral.

Crossing
from west to east is supposed to be forbidden, but sometimes it’s
necessary. Some enter the Savage Zone to provide humanitarian relief.
Sixteen-year-old Lane’s father goes there to retrieve lost artifacts—he
is a Fetch. It’s a dangerous life, but rewarding—until he’s caught.

Desperate
to save her father, Lane agrees to complete his latest job. That means
leaving behind her life of comfort and risking life and limb—and her
very DNA—in the Savage Zone. But she’s not alone. In order to complete
her objective, Lane strikes a deal with handsome, roguish Rafe. In
exchange for his help as a guide, Lane is supposed to sneak him back
west. But though Rafe doesn’t exhibit any signs of “manimal” mutation,
he’s hardly civilized . . . and he may not be trustworthy.

Inhuman by Kat Falls
is a fast paced, action packed novel that will thrill many readers to
come. I went into this book without any expectations at all however I
was pleasantly surprised in the end.

One of novel’s strongest points is its premise. From the very
beginning, it immediately grabbed my attention and it certainly did not
disappoint as the story progressed. The effects of mutation from the
fictional, man-made virus were both chilling and fascinating to read
about. In a way, the infected victims remind me of zombies as they can
become psychotic and extremely aggressive under the virus’s influence.
Certain individual aspects of the story may seem quite derivative and
similar to other works in the post-apocalyptic/science fiction genre
however in this case, the whole book was definitely worth more than the
sum of its parts. Fall’s world-building was impeccable and credible as I
could not find any loopholes or faults in its set up. Everything
basically made sense, with all the intricate details falling nicely into
their place. If a catastrophic plague hits the world one day with the
victims exhibiting animal-like symptoms, it would not be too far from
this story.The rest of this review can be read over at Book Brobe.

An electronic advance reading copy was provided by the publisher. This did not influence my opinion in any way.

“With every fiber
of my being, I yearned to be normal. To glide through my days at Iverson
without incident. But I’d have to face the fact that my life was about
to unfold in a very, very different way than I’d ever envisioned.
Normal would become forever out of reach.”

Lora Jones has always known that she’s different. On the outside, she
appears to be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yet Lora’s been keeping
a heartful of secrets: She hears songs that no one else can hear,
dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with a mysterious voice
inside her that insists she’s far more than what she seems.

England, 1915. Raised in an orphanage in a rough corner of London, Lora
quickly learns to hide her unique abilities and avoid attention. Then,
much to her surprise, she is selected as the new charity student at
Iverson, an elite boarding school on England’s southern coast. Iverson’s
eerie, gothic castle is like nothing Lora has ever seen. And the two
boys she meets there will open her eyes and forever change her destiny.

Jesse is the school’s groundskeeper—a beautiful boy who recognizes Lora
for who and what she truly is. Armand is a darkly handsome and arrogant
aristocrat who harbors a few closely guarded secrets of his own. Both
hold the answers to her past. One is the key to her future. And both
will aim to win her heart. As danger descends upon Iverson, Lora must
harness the powers she’s only just begun to understand, or else lose
everything she dearly loves.

I really wished that I enjoyed The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abé. The premise was intriguing and from the blurb, it seemed like a decent, quick YA read. With an alluring blend of historical fiction, fantasy and romance, it's rare that such combination can do any wrong. Unfortunately this was not the case here. Instead, I was left feeling underwhelmed and indifferent at the end, wondering why it was a good idea to drudge through this book. It's even more difficult to write a review about a book that you have no strong feelings for so there is nothing really going for me at the moment.

One of the things that I liked about this book was its beautiful setting. The descriptions of early 20th century London were lush and vivid which painted lovely images in my head. With a WWI backdrop, Abé was successful in creating an authentic historical feel to the story despite its fantasy filled plot. Furthermore I liked the eerie and foreboding atmosphere that was not only present on the streets of London, but also within the boarding school Iverson. I'm a huge sucker for gothic settings so Abé easily won me over with the expansive school grounds, quaint cottages in the middle of the woods, old chapels, aristocratic manors and secret passages in the school castle. The setting can be loosely compared to Harry Potter however that is the only remotely common link between them. I have not read Abe’s previous adult series that is set in the same world however I could recognise the subtle details and intricacies in the world-building that may be more apparent if you are familiar with her other books.

Abé’s prose is also very beautiful and poetic. It is clear that she is skilled writer as she does have a lovely way with words that makes every sentence such a pleasure to read. Unfortunately I felt that this book was all style but no substance. Despite its intriguing setting and atmosphere, it had a number of major flaws that significantly impacted upon my reading experience. The book started off on a strong foot with an intriguing and ominous prologue that immediately drew me in. Yet even an appealing premise and writing style could not hide the dull plot and characters. I felt utterly bored throughout reading this book and it was a struggle to finish it. There were too many YA tropes for my liking (those who dislike love triangles and insta-love between characters would do well to avoid this book) and the events were too predictable. I was never a fan of alternating POVs as they often detract the mystery and suspense from the story when poorly done. This was certainly the case with this book as the thoughts of the main characters were simply not engaging enough to make me want to be in their shoes.

I could not connect to any of the characters. Lora’s voice and personality did nothing for me and I was even less impressed with Jesse and Armand (the latter’s nickname is “Mandy” which personally sounds ridiculous in my head, especially when it replaced his proper name on most part during his POV). Also, does every YA novel that is set in a boarding school NEED to have so much drama, bickering, jealousy, gossip and backstabbing between girls who have to act so bitchy? (I’m looking at you Shadow and Bone). Although I understand the school is catered for the extremely rich and wealthy however I wished that it was been written in a less clichéd manner that doesn’t make me want to excessively roll my eyes. The plot was uninteresting and the pacing leaves a lot to be desired as you can skip about 50 pages and still not miss anything substantial. Despite the decent writing and world-building, the tension and conflict of the novel failed to engage me in any way. I did not feel that there was enough urgency or drive in the story to keep me interested. The climax was laughable and I could not sympathise with the characters' stakes no matter how dramatic it were.

Overall, this was an underwhelming, lacklustre novel that did not stand out to me at all. After being drawn to the blurb, this book was unfortunately not for me. I enjoyed Abé’s writing style so I may try her other books in the future in hope their storylines and characters are better. I would recommend this book if you are looking for a light, quick YA fantasy read and are going in with low expectations, otherwise there’s a chance that you’ll be disappointed.

Tana lives in a world
where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined
monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and
prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you
can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party,
Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this
massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on
the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken
and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three
of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked,
opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror,
and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly
Black.

I feel quite conflicted about The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black. I really wanted to like this book and it could have easily been 3.5+ stars had another person read this instead. On one hand, the premise was intriguing however its execution left a lot to be desired. Furthermore the things that bothered me are very subjective and will most likely not affect other readers at all. It’s not exactly a bad story and I still think that this book is worth checking especially if you are a fan of Holly Black’s previous works. I was originally in the mood for vampires and went in with high expectations. Needless to say, I was ultimately left disappointed.

Gifted (books I'd gotten for my 18th birthday)Fairytales for Wilde Girls by Allyse Near (This lovely gothic book was on my radar for quite a while and it definitely sounds like something I would enjoy. Plus it's written by an Aussie author!)Looking for Alaska by John Green (Seems like the most popular JG book out there after The Fault in Our Stars, plus it won the Printz Award so I'm sure it'll be a great read)

WonThrone of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (Thank you to Yolanda Sfetsos and Bloombury Sydney for the giveaway! I remember reading the original online version on Fictionpress 5 years ago so I look forward to reading final product.)

OtherThe Bone Season by Samantha Shannon (I received a free copy from the publisher at the Sydney launch event and it has quite a lot of hype around it with its 7 book deal, J.K. Rowling comparisons and the movie rights already optioned. Definitely can't wait to read this one)

Ebooks (some awesome self-published NA gems here!)

Unteachable by Leah Raeder (Just recently finished it and I loved it, highly recommended for those who have been disappointed with many current NA books out there)Speak Easy by Melanie Harlow (I was hooked from the chapter sampler and so far it sounds like a well written, high quality NA historical fic)

About Me

letoile19

Australia

Hello! My name is Estelle and I'm from Sydney, Australia. I'm currently in my final year of high school and you will often find me sleep-deprived from staying up late to read under my bed covers. I'm a huge fan of speculative fiction and my hobbies include playing the piano, clarinet and chess.